Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Dwarfs (Elachistidae) (part 1)

DWARFS (ELACHISTIDAE)


Honeysuckle Dwarf Perittia obscurepunctella - None.  I've only ever found one of these and never near here, but it's widespread enough (if scarce) and there's plenty of Honeysuckle round here so must be a fair chance of it turning up locally.


Swan-feather Dwarf Elachista argentella - A total of 7 in my garden trap between 24th May to 17th June, a remarkable showing given that I'd only recorded 2 in the garden since moving here in 2014 (2016 and 2018).  Another 3 in 2020, between 8th and 26th May.  Elsewhere 3 at the meadows on 25th May 2019 and 2 there in 2020.

Swan-feather Dwarf Elachista argentella, North Elmham, 24th May 2019

Swan-feather Dwarf Elachista argentella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd May 2020

Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea - None.  I've recorded this species at the meadows and at a couple of other sites not far away but so far not in my garden.


Black-headed Dwarf Elachista atricomella - 3 caught in my garden between 8th and 14th September 2020.  Previously I've recorded this species in my garden a couple of times (2015 and 2018).  Elewhere one at the meadows on 5th June 2019, one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019 and one at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

male Black-headed Dwarf Elachista atricomella, Weybourne, 5th July 2019

male Black-headed Dwarf Elachista atricomella, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Marsh Dwarf Elachista alpinella - One in the garden on 3rd September 2019.  This is normally quite a scarce species, not recorded every year in Norfolk.  Previously my only records were in the very good year of 2016 when the crop of 7 county records included 3 in my garden and one I trapped elsewhere.

male Marsh Dwarf Elachista atricomella, North Elmham, 3rd September 2019

White-headed Dwarf Elachista albifrontella - None.  I'm yet to record this fairly widespread species locally.


Pearled Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella - Trapped in my garden on 24th June and 22nd July 2019 and 26th May 2020.  I'd only caught this species here twice before (2017 and 2018).  Also singles at the meadows on 6th May 2019 and 3rd May and 13th July 2020.

male Pearled Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

male Pearled Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd May 2020

male Pearled Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th July 2020

Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella - 7 in my garden trap between 16th May and 1st June 2019 and then 25 between 23rd June and 23rd September.  A total of 32 represents my worst year for these since 2015 but 2020 was my best with 95 between 17th April and 26th September.  Although this is far and away my commonest Elachistid in the garden I've recorded very few indeed from other sites (none in 2019 or 2020).

male Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, North Elmham, 1st June 2019

Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, North Elmham, 17th April 2020

Red-brindled Dwarf Elachista rufocinerea - One in my trap on 24th April 2019 was a new moth for the garden but I caught almost exactly a year later, on 23rd April 2020.  At the meadows 6 flying at dusk on 25th April 2020 and one on 2nd May.  The majority of times I've recorded this species in the past it has been day-flying or netted at dusk - it doesn't seem to come to light very often.

Red-brindled Dwarf Elachista rufocinerea, North Elmham, 24th April 2019

Red-brindled Dwarf Elachista rufocinerea, North Elmham, 23rd April 2020

Red-brindled Dwarf Elachista rufocinerea, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April 2020

Triple-spot Dwarf Elachista maculicerusella - 5 in my garden trap between 1st June and 25th July 2019, the most I had recorded here in a year but beaten by 6 between 8th May and 16th August 2020.  Also recorded at the meadows where a maximum of 40 counted flying on 25th May 2020; also at Sculthorpe Moor.

Triple-spot Dwarf Elachista maculicerusella, Sculthorpe Moor, 26th April 2019

Triple-spot Dwarf Elachista maculicerusella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April 2020

Triple-spot Dwarf Elachista maculicerusella, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

Next page: more Elachistidae plus

Abundant rarely-recorded waxflies

I headed up to the Cathedral Meadows early on Saturday 12th May.  One striking feature was the abundance of Waxflies flying alongside the hedgerows.  There are several species of Waxfly and most are poorly recorded (which is presumably how I added two species to the Norfolk list from my garden last year).  Several can only be identified if they are male, so I retained enough to be reasonably confident that I would have males from each of the two tetrads I was covering.  In the end they were all males and they all proved to be Coniopteryx tineiformis, a very poorly-recorded species.  I had one at home in 2016 but prior to that there was just one record in Norfolk.  I have noticed early morning waxflies flying around hawthorns elsewhere at this time of year before - I bet this is actually a very common and widespread species that simply isn't recorded.  I don't suppose there are all that many people out at five in the morning with nets who are prepared to catch waxflies and examine their genitalia.  Quite odd really - I wonder why not?
 

Coniopteryx tineiformis (males, gen det), Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

There were also a few moths flying around including Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, 5 Horse Chestnut Leaf-miners Cameraria ohridella, 2 Pearled Dwarfs Elachista apicipunctella and Little Mompha Mompha raschkiella.

Pearled Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

Little Mompha Mompha raschkiella, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

This Scorpion Fly is another Panorpa germanica.

Parnorpa germanica, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

I think this springtail is Pogonognathellus longicornis, though it's quite a bit smaller than they can get, the antennae were only fractionally longer than the body and the filaments on the empodia (is that the pluaral of empodium?) weren't quite as long as they're supposed to be.  On the scarcer flavescens the antennae should be shorter than the body and the empodium shorter than the claw, neither of which were the case, quite.  I think the similar Tomocerus species have less tapered antennae and spines on the inside of the dens which I couldn't see, but I'm basing this primarily on the descriptions of the 4 Tomocerid species at Naturespot, and I'm not 100% sure there aren't any other contenders I should rule out (or in).

Pogonognathellus longicornis, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

I have struggled a bit using the key to land snails but decided to put a bit more effort in this year as I'm trying to record as many different taxa as possible at the meadows.  Today I identified White-lipped Snail, Strawberry Snail (both of which I had identified before) and Copse Snail (which was entirely new to me).

 Copse Snail, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

White-lipped Snail, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

Strawberry Snail, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

As I understand it these slugs can't be identified to either Great Red Slug or Great Black Slug without dissection and examination of their genitalia.  For some reason looking at a slug's naughty bits is somehow less appealing than looking at a moth or waxfly's naughty bits...

Great Red Slug or perhaps Great Black Slug, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

A rush of moths

Bank Holiday Monday was nice at the meadows with a number of new species for the site recorded.  I counted at least 13 Large Red Damselflies and butterflies included 8 Orange-tips, 4 Brimstones, 2 Holly Blues, 2 Small Tortoiseshells and 3 Speckled Woods. Moths weren't especially well represented with just Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana and another Vetch Piercer Grapholita jungiella.  There were Dark-edged Bee-flies and bees included Buff-tailed Bumblebee.

I haven't been using my new sweep net very much as it provides so much material I end up spending all my hours working through it all in my study and not having enough time to go outside - it's bad enough anyway!  This was exemplified today when a single sweep through some grass and Ground Ivy produced the bug Stenodema laevigata, the planthopper Javesella pellucida, a rove beetle Tachyporus sp. (probably Tachyporus hypnorum), a Pea-leaf Weevil Sitona lineatus and a spider Metellina mengei, the first time I've identified this species.

Javesella pellucida, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th May

Tachyporus sp., probably Tachyporus hypnorum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th May

Metellina mengei, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th May

Among the flora, Greater Celandine was a new species for me.

Greater Celandine, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th May

Common Field Speedwell, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th May

That evening a White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella was new for the year (appearing in my study) while the moth trap delivered two more additions to the garden year list, Pebble Prominent and Flame Shoulder.

 White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, North Elmham, 7th May

Pebble Prominent, North Elmham, 7th May

Flame Shoulder, North Elmham, 7th May

The following night was remarkably good compared to recent nights, or indeed any night this year so far.  Surprisingly a couple of other moth-trappers I've spoken to didn't have the same experience but for me it was massive!  Ok, 45 moths of 25 species may not sound like an extroadinary catch, but no less than 14 of these were new for the year.  Bear in mind that I trap every night, new moths for the year tend to be fairly well spread out.  The best night for new additions so far this year was 21st April with 6, and these 14 increased my year-list by over 20% in one foul swoop.  More nights like this please!

The 14 additions to the garden year list were: Little Ermel Swammerdamia pyrella, Pearl Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella, 3 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Chinese Character, Garden Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet, 2 Common Pugs, Brimstone Moth, White-pinion Spotted, Coxcomb Prominent, 2 Orange Footmen, Cinnabar, Least Black Arches and 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts.

Little Ermel Swammerdamia pyrella, North Elmham, 8th May

Pearl Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella, North Elmham, 8th May

Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, North Elmham, 8th May

Chinese Character, North Elmham, 8th May

Garden Carpet, North Elmham, 8th May

Grey Pine Carpet, North Elmham, 8th May

Common Pug, North Elmham, 8th May

Brimstone Moth, North Elmham, 8th May

White-pinion Spotted, North Elmham, 8th May

Coxcomb Prominent, North Elmham, 8th May

Orange Footman, North Elmham, 8th May

Cinnabar, North Elmham, 8th May

Least Black Arches, North Elmham, 8th May

Shuttle-shaped Dart, North Elmham, 8th May

The other moths caught that night were 2 Beech Midgets Phyllonorycter maestingella, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 4 Brindled Pugs, 4 Waved Umbers, another 4 Chocolate-tips, 4 Muslin Moths, Hebrew Character and 3 Nut-tree Tussocks.

It was good for other insects too.  My first Mayfly of the year was a Large Dark Olive Baetis rhodani, actually a new species altogether for me, although I think some of my earlier attempts to identify mayflies were flawed so it may be that I've misidentified them in the past (I made a significant breakthrough with mayflies half way through last year when I realised how easy they were to sex).

Large Dark Olive Baetis rhodani (male imago), North Elmham, 8th May

Three species of caddisfly tripled my caddis year-list: Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Limnephilus affinis and 3 Limnephilus auricula.

Limnephilus affinis, North Elmham, 8th May

Limnephilus auricula, North Elmham, 8th May

Beetles included Great Diving Beetle Dytiscus marginalis, Black Sexton Beetle and my first Cantharis cryptica (one of the soldier-beetles) of the year.  Check out the suction pads on the underside of one of the Diving Beetles tarsal segments...

Great Diving Beetle Dytiscus marginalis, North Elmham, 8th May

Cantharis cryptica, North Elmham, 8th May